Abstract:
Marine litter is commonly found throughout the oceans, and creates a significant
threat to the marine ecosystem. The purpose of the study was to investigate the
abundance and distribution of marine litter in Hatiya and Nijhum Dwip Islands,
Bangladesh during the post-monsoon and to determine beach cleanliness using the
clean-coast index (CCI). A 100-meter line transect was established at each beach,
divided into five sections of 20 meters each and positioned perpendicular to the
shoreline at the water's edge. A total of 11 types of marine litter were observed. Namar
Bazar, Nijhum Dwip Sea beach showed a higher density of litter (0.30 items/m
compared to Kamalar Dighi, Hatiya (0.13 items/m
). Over 70% of marine litter
originated from land-based sources. Plastics were abundant litter at the Kamalar Dighi
(46.66%) and Namar Bazar (61.29%). Different size ranges of marine litter were
exhibited at the Kamalar Dighi (1.27-25.4 cm) and Namar Bazar (2-74 cm). Based on
the mean CCI value, Hatiya and Nijhum Dwip beaches were classified as clean (2.4)
and moderate (4.96), respectively. This study, therefore, suggested the conceptual
policy framework including short-term (i.e., cleanness of beaches, create awareness,
establishment of storages, etc.) and long-term management approaches that would
be implemented for sustainable management of marine litter to ensure the
conservation of marine biodiversity in the Hatiya and Nijhum Dwip Island.
